Changing approaches to ensuring the quality of defense production

Abstract

The combat capability of any army, other things being equal, in general depends on the scientific and technical level, and quality of weapons and military equipment. The national security largely depends on the quality of defence products manufactured by the enterprises of the military-industrial complex. Creating and implementing a quality management system for ensuring high and sustained quality of weapons and military equipment should be a priority for the state leaders.
The domestic system of quality control of defense products was developed on the principals of a planned economy during the USSR times, and implies the system of military representative offices, subordinated to the Ministry of Defense. According to such system, the enterprises that manufacture or supply products for military purposes have representatives of the Ministry of Defense who oversee operations related to awarded state contracts.
The existing quality assurance systemfor defense products has serious shortcomings. Functioning on the principles that are characteristic of the Soviet quality management system is considered to be the main disadvantage. The main issue that has to be resolved is the transition from the post-Soviet quality management system to a modern Western management system in accordance with NATO practices and standards.
In November 2022, the Government Concept of establishinga system of state quality assurance of defense goods, works and services was adopted. The state proposes to replace the system of quality control by military representative officeswith another model of quality assurance, where the supplier is fully responsible for quality, and the customer, depending on the level of risks in relation to the products or the supplier, chooses one or more quality assurance mechanisms, e.g. establishing relevant requirements for the supplier's quality management system, assessing and verifying compliance, and supervising the operation of the quality management system. Establishing a state product quality assurance system in Ukraine is the best way to increase the quality level and to ensure approaches in product quality management compliant with NATO.
A significant amount of work has been carried out to implement the quality assurance system. The government has adopted a number of legislative acts. Military standards similar to NATO AQAP series have been developed and implemented.
Along with the successes in introduction of NATO standards in the security and defense sector of Ukraine, some significant issues remain. A considerable amount work has beendone, however the progress of implementation of standards by the industry is rather insignificant, the efficiency of management of activities in the field of standardization of defense products is insufficient.
Unified approaches to conformity assessment mechanisms, certification of military products in Ukraine, scope for certification bodies, testing laboratories, accreditation bodies, supervision of their activities have not been implemented, a list of products that conformity must be assessed for has not beenmade, there is no common vision among related parties for such list.
There are also a number of complex issues with human capacity both on the side of enterprises of the defense industrial complex and at the quality control (assurance) bodies: there is a shortage of qualified personnel of technical professions, including quality specialists that are required for the systematic implementation of innovative directions for development in the field of quality; there is no systematic approach to appropriate specific training, , professional development, and personnel certification; the level of wages at enterprises of the defense industrial complex (especially state owned) is sometimes significantly lower than at enterprises of other industries.
There are also a number of other issues in theproduct quality assurance, and the article is devoted to their analysis.